In a legal career spanning nearly six decades, John Hopkins has received countless accolades. The founder of Hopkins & Carley, A Law Corporation, has hired and mentored scores of the Valley’s best and brightest attorneys, and he has seen the expansion of his firm into three active entities now operating in San Jose, Palo Alto and Burbank. By the time of his retirement in 2012, Hopkins had racked up devoted clients throughout the business and private sectors, as well as multiple awards from (and the respect of) his peers.

Add one more to the long list of honors on Hopkins’ CV: On Feb. 27, the longtime Los Gatos resident was to be cited as the “2014 Distinguished Business Leader” by the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce. Celebrating Hopkins’ success in launching the firm–as well as his lengthy record of community service–the award is the highest individual honor bestowed by the SJSV Chamber.

When Hopkins hung out his own shingle in 1968, his nascent firm was hardly the legal powerhouse it was destined to be, nor was he the philanthropist he would become. “In those days I was married with four kids and had no capital, and my partners were basically in the same boat,” Hopkins recalled. “We were all working for other firms; somehow we managed to scrape together the funds needed to go out on our own.”

Back then the firm was known as Hopkins, Jordan, Mitchell & Sullivan, and the attorneys’ focus was on corporate and tax law and litigation. For Hopkins–who’d grown up in the farmlands of Watsonville and then graduated Phi Beta Kappa (and president of the Law Review) from Stanford University and Stanford Law School–going into business in San Jose was the realization of a long-held dream.

“When I was in college, San Jose always seemed so exotic to me; it was really ‘the big city,’ even though at the time the population was only about 25,000. Somehow I just knew that San Jose would be the place where I wanted to be,” Hopkins said.

Within four years Hopkins and his partners knew they also wanted to have a presence in Palo Alto, where early tech leaders were making waves. In 1972 the San Jose firm merged with Hardy, Carley, Love, Small & Munro. The resulting enterprise understandably posed some challenges, with regard to its name.

Said Hopkins, “We had a meeting, and talked about the fact that there wasn’t enough room on the door for eight names [by then Hardy, a former judge, had passed away]. We ended up taking the names of the two most senior people in both marketplaces.”

Throughout the years Hopkins’ career has been earmarked by his willingness to give to others in numerous ways. Beginning with a volunteer slot with the former San Jose Civic Light Opera Association (now American Musical Theater of San Jose), Hopkins has amassed a record of community service largely unmatched in the South Bay. Among the many organizations whose boards have benefited from his energies and expertise are the YMCA, Goodwill Enterprises, Santa Clara’s University Preparatory Academy, Attorneys for Family Health Enterprises, the Family Business Forum and the Giarretto Institute.

A focus on creating and maintaining strong, supportive communities has been the basis for much of Hopkins’ charitable endeavors. “At the Giarretto Institute, which served families dealing with sexual abuse, we emphasized that you can’t cure someone who’s had a traumatic experience without the support of the community,” Hopkins said. “When that community becomes an extended family, the person who’s gone through the challenges doesn’t feel like he or she is out there alone; they’re getting support from many places.”

This belief in developing extended families was supported by the four years that Hopkins spent taking night classes in psychology at Santa Clara University. At the time his wife, Valerie, was earning a master’s degree in the field, prior to setting up a practice in marriage and family counseling. “I was working with the university to put together some programs on family businesses, so I took all of the psychology courses they offered,” Hopkins laughed. “I didn’t need the masters … but the classes really helped me in my job.”

“I think John represents everything that’s good about being a lawyer, both in representing his clients and in being a philanthropist,” said Bill Klein, now managing shareholder at Hopkins & Carley, and a past chairman and member of the SJSV Chamber’s executive committee. “John set the tone for the firm for 60 years, and has mentored multiple lawyers in their careers and in the need to give back to the community. What he does is truly meaningful, both inside and outside of the firm. He’s a quiet giant.”

“John’s selection for this honor was done completely independent of my involvement with the Chamber, because of who he is,” Klein adds. “I’m ecstatic that he was chosen for this award.”

The Distinguished Business Leader award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated long-term excellence in both business and civic engagement. A “lifetime achievement” citation, it is reserved exclusively for those who have demonstrated leadership and continuous service to the greater Silicon Valley through the promotion of business, civic engagement, community promotion, philanthropic support and quality of life enhancements. Past honorees include Bob Kieve of Empire Broadcasting and KLIV/KRTY (2012); and Chuck Toeniskoetter, principal with Toeniskoetter Development (2013).

In a prepared statement from the Chamber, the selection criteria that led to Hopkins’ latest honors were further articulated. “John has been devoted to helping his clients with estate and tax planning matters, including charitable gift giving and wealth transfer solutions,” the selection committee noted. “He has a personal commitment for civic duty, community service and philanthropy, which he passes along to his clients. His own community service is legendary and lengthy, with service on EMQ FamiliesFirst, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Rotary Club of San Jose, Via Rehabilitation Services, Stanford Silicon Valley Community Foundation Planned Giving Conference and many more.”

Asked about his response to word that he will receive the award, Hopkins said the news “made me feel good, in the sense that it’s for my community activities. It kind of came out of the blue … I really appreciate this honor.”

More in News

The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter.